As any significant awards ceremony draws close, one notices an outcry for introducing of new categories to acknowledge overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications actually cover many game types, making space possible for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, each quite distinct: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. What category would fit them between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely during that awards season
- Another imaginative release missed out during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often small games, but the art of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences in the world maintaining this status for many years.
The famous puzzle experience rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of most purchased experience; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
